August 29, 2024, 10:30 am - The Boys are back in town!

It was another beautiful sunny morning here on Vancouver Island as guests loaded into the boats ready for a wonderful adventure. Since none of the whales have trackers on them, we don’t have a particular destination in mind when we are leaving the dock. We head out into the Salish Sea and search, excited to see who and what we might find today! That was the case this morning as our semi-covered vessel (Kula) and open vessel (Keta) split up to cover more ground. Kula went north in search of an earlier report of whales from shore, while Keta proceeded south. Both boats managed to find themselves some whales during their searches. The humpbacks Kula found were busy feeding and doing long dives. Keta on the other hand found humpbacks that were spending more time at the surface which allowed us to ID them as Watson/Cerulean (BCX1068 calf 2021), Pony (BCX1604) and another friend. While Kula searched for other whales the Mudgekins (people that live on Mudge Island) let us know that orcas had just swam south through Dodd Narrows!

With that report, both boats raced towards where the whales were last scene. Orcas can travel over 100 miles every single day, they rarely stop moving so we have to be fast! We made it to the north end of Dodd where we observed a boater who had learned an unfortunate lesson about how unforgiving the Narrows can be. Dodd Narrows is one of the spots where the water from the Georgia Strait comes in and out of the Southern Gulf Islands and because of this currents can move over 15 km/h. Because of the strong currents and narrow passage, it can be easy to make a mistake when boating in this area. This seemed to be the case for one boater as his boat had run aground. Luckily the people on board were safe and we were able to continue our way south through the Narrows. Once we entered the Southern Gulf Islands it didn’t take us long to find the reported orca! They were:

T023 Janice ♀ (≤1964)
T023D Axle ♀ (1993)
T023D3 Robin ♂ (2012)
T023D4 Sixx (2015)
T023D5 (2019)

T019 Nootka ♀ (≤1965)
T019B Galiano ♂ (1995)
T019C Spouter ♂ (2001)

The orca we generally watch in our area are called Bigg’s/Transient orca. They typically travel in small matrilineal families led by the eldest female. When multiple families come together, we call it a T-Party (T for transient)! This was the case today as we found 2 separate families hanging out together. Our crew was especially excited to see the T019s as they have been away for several months now. The T019s consist of Nootka and her 2 giant sons Galiano and Spouter. Typically they travel as a 3-generation family with Nootka’s presumed mother Esperanza (T018) but for whatever reason she was not with the family today. Don’t worry though, Esperanza is alive and well as she was spotted further north in Campbell River. (maybe she needed a break from her grandsons haha).

The other family present also travels with 3 generations and in this case, all members were there today! The T023s are often referred to as “The Motley Crew” because several members of the family are named after famous rock stars. Why do orcas meet up with other families? Well, this is a perfect time to socialize and a fantastic opportunity for breeding. Male transients typically spend their entire lives with their mothers. They pass on their genetics to the next generation during these social events. After spending some time with the orcas the boats made their way back towards the dock. Kula made a quick stop with some adorable harbour seals before finishing up the tour. If you’d like to see pictures from our adventure you can check them out below! Today’s photos were taken by Marine Naturalists Aly Kohlman and Lucy WIllis.

The youngest member of the T-Party T023D5 doesn’t have a name yet. Photo by Aly Kohlman

At 23 years old T019C Spouter is the youngest member of his family! Photo by Aly Kohlman

T019C Spouter’s dorsal fin is around 6 feet tall. Photo by Aly Kohlman

T019B Galiano is a fan favorite in the Salish Sea. Photo by Aly Kohlman

T019 Nootka is the mother of the 2 large males from this party. Photo by Aly Kohlman

T023D3 Robin is what we call a “sprouter” meaning he is in the process of getting larger and growing his fin! Photo by Aly Kohlman

T019B Galiano is the ultimate mama's boy never venturing to far from Nootka. Photo by Aly Kohlman

T023 Janice is name after Janice Joplin. Photo by Aly Kohlman

T019B Galiano coming up for a breath. Photo by Aly Kohlman

We can ID orca in several ways. Here you can see there are notches on T019 Nootka’s dorsal fin as well as scaring on her saddle patch. Photo by Aly Kohlman

A good look at the different fin sizes - T023D4 Sixx, T019B Galiano, and T023D3 Robin. Photo by Aly Kohlman

The 2 families swimming together - T019C Spouter, T019B Galiano, T023D3 Robin, T023 Janice, and T019 Nootka. Photo by Aly Kohlman

All coming up for a breath together - T019C Spouter, T019B Galiano, T023 Janice, and T019 Nootka. Photo by Aly Kohlman

From left to right, T019C Spouter, T023D3 Robin, T023D Axle and T023 Janice. Photo by Aly Kohlman.

Each eye patch is unique like a finger print - this one is T019B Galiano's. Photo by Lucy Willis

T023 Janice and T019 Nootka. Photo by Lucy Willis

We ID our humpbacks by looking at the ventral side of the fluke. This is Pony. Photo by Lucy Willis

A cartwheeling humpback. Photo by Lucy Willis

Pony's dorsal fin. Photo by Lucy Willis

Harbour seal checking out Kula. Photo by Aly Kohlman

Harbour seals relaxing. Photo by Aly Kohlman

A turkey vulture hanging out at the Gabriola Bluffs. Photo by Lucy Willis